1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a pixel tube for field emission display.
2. Description of Related Art
Field emission displays (FEDs) are based on the emission of electrons in a vacuum. Electrons are emitted from micron-sized tips in a strong electric field, the electrons are accelerated to collide with a fluorescent material, which then emits visible light. Field emission displays are thin, light weight, and provide high levels of brightness.
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) produced by means of arc discharge between graphite rods were first discovered and reported in an article by Sumio Iijima, entitled “Helical Microtubules of Graphitic Carbon” (Nature, Vol. 354, Nov. 7, 1991, pp. 56-58). Carbon nanotubes also feature extremely high electrical conductivity, very small diameters (much less than 100 nanometers), large aspect ratios (i.e. length/diameter ratios) (greater than 1000), and a tip-surface area near the theoretical limit (the smaller the tip-surface area, the more concentrated the electric field, and the greater the field enhancement factor). These features tend to make carbon nanotubes ideal candidates for electron emitter in field emission displays. Generally, a carbon nanotube wire drawn from a carbon nanotube array is used as an electron emitter after being cut by a blade. However, because the carbon nanotube wire has a planar end surface and low electron emission efficiency, the luminous efficiency of the field emission display is low.
What is needed, therefore, is to provide a high luminous efficiency pixel tube for field emission display.